PRESS DIGEST-Canada-Jan 10

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

* Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty urged elementary teachers not to walk off the job on Friday and vowed to punish them with hefty fines if they do. The Liberals will file an application on Thursday morning with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, seeking to block the illegal strike where 76,000 teachers are planning to voice their opposition to a government-imposed contract that froze wages and cut sick days. ()

* Alberta Premier Alison Redford continued to give veiled warnings and mixed messages about her looming budget, opening the door to eventual tax hikes with what one critic calls a “trial balloon.” ()

Reports in the business section:

* Buttressing Canada’s position in the global race to export liquefied natural gas, TransCanada Corp said on Wednesday that it plans to build a $5 billion pipeline to transport British Columbia shale gas to the West Coast and onward to lucrative Asian markets. ()

* Porter Aviation Holdings Inc said it will provide regular service despite a strike by 22 employees who fuel the aircraft, after talks broke down on Wednesday. ()

NATIONAL POST

* A small Inuit community on Hudson Bay is appealing for help after a dozen killer whales, one of which is bleeding, were trapped in nearby ice. Inukjuak mayor Peter Inukpuk said they are becoming agitated and panicked, at times attempting to come up to the surface all at once, gasping for air. ()

FINANCIAL POST

* British Columbia’s deep-rooted environmentalism is about to get a much stronger counterpoint as a growing number of energy giants establish a corporate presence on the West Coast. Chevron Corp, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, BG Group, Enbridge Inc , TransCanada Corp and Kinder Morgan Inc have opened offices, are expanding or planning to set up offices in Vancouver or nearby. ()

* Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has sold half its stake in TD Canada Trust Tower to Public Sector Pension Investment Board for about $465 million, veteran real estate analyst Neil Downey, managing director, global equity at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note to investors. The deal is probably the largest real estate swap at the highest per-square-foot price to date in Canadian commercial property history. ()